New Escambia School Choice Options Offered
March 11, 2013
The School District of Escambia County has developed a new School Choice plan that will allow parents of elementary students to register their child for school within a specific zone. This new plan was created as the No Child Left Behind waiver ended the past policy of school transfers through Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
The eight school zones listed below were geographically created for the new School Choice plan. Applications (both online and paper) will be available March 11-22. Parents will be notified by the school after Spring Break (March 25-29) if their application has been approved. Once approved, the parent must go to the school by April 12 to register their child. The new School Choice plan will affect next year’s kindergarten students as well as new students who move into the district. If the school has reached capacity, the parent’s second choice will be considered.
This new School Choice plan will allow parents three options to register their child:
- At the residentially zoned school from their address; OR
- A school of their choice within the geographical area with transportation from a designated bus stop; OR
- Any school in the district without transportation as long as the school has capacity. Transportation may be provided through a designated stop, but parents must apply for that opportunity by April 24, 2013.
A visit to the School Choice web site at http://www.ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com/SchoolChoice will provide detailed information and a link to the application. A paper application may be submitted to the School Choice Office located at the J.E. Hall Center, 30 East Texar Drive, or by faxing it to (850) 469-5611.
ZONE 1
Blue Angel ES
Hellen Caro ES
Pleasant Grove ES
ZONE 2
Myrtle Grove ES
Navy Point ES
Sherwood ES
Warrington ES
West Pensacola ES
ZONE 3
Bellview ES
Brentwood ES
Global Learning
Oakcrest ES
ZONE 4
Cordova Park ES
A.K. Suter ES
O.J. Semmes ES
ZONE 5
Beulah ES
Longleaf ES
Montclair ES
ZONE 6
Ensley ES
Lincoln Park ES
Lipscomb ES
McArthur ES
Pine Meadow ES
Jim Allen ES
ZONE 7
Ferry Pass ES
Holm ES
Scenic Heights ES
C. A. Weis
ZONE 8
Bratt ES
Molino Park ES
Escambia Man Gets 30 Years For Robbing Cab Driver
March 11, 2013
Phillip Earl Crenshaw, Jr., was sentenced last weekby Judge John Parnham to 30 years in state prison with a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years. Crenshaw was convicted by an Escambia County jury on October 17 of robbery with a firearm and battery.
On January 12, 2012, Crenshaw called a cab to pick him up. When the cab arrived, Crenshaw asked to sit in the front seat with driver. Crenshaw punched the female driver in the face multiple times. He then pulled a gun, stole her money and told her leave the area or he would shoot her. The victim fled the area and then called 911.
One month later, the victim identified Crenshaw from a photo lineup.
Body Found In Cantonment
March 10, 2013
A body was discovered late Saturday morning in Cantonment off Nowak Road, near Upland Road.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office said the body has not been positively identified but may be that of a person previously reported missing . The Sheriff’s Office said foul play is not suspected in the person’s death.
The body was found after a planned search for human remains by Escambia Search and Rescue that began earlier Saturday morning. An autopsy will be performed by the Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the exact cause of death and the identity of the person.
Further information has not yet been released by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Photos: Hundreds Attend Blue Jacket Jamboree
March 10, 2013
The fourth annual Blue Jacket Jamboree was held Saturday at Northview High School with a variety of vendors, and plenty of great food and entertainment.
This year’s lineup included musical entertainment from local artists, along with an entire day of car shows, crafts, food, games, and more. The proceeds from this event will fund scholarships for graduating Northview seniors and promote agricultural education and FFA in Northwest Florida.
The Blue Jacket Jamboree was sponsored in part by NorthEscambia.com.
For a photo gallery, click here.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Gentle Giant: Tate Aggies Mourn Loss Of Coach
March 10, 2013
The Tate Aggies are mourning the loss of one of their own today.
Branden Penegar, 20, passed away Saturday. A 2011 graduate of Tate, he was an assistant coach for the freshman Aggies’ football program and varsity tennis team. He was know to his players as the “Gentle Giant”. Penegar was a member of the Tate High School Student Hall of Fame.
“Coach Penegar, we all love you and words simply can not express how you will be missed,” a tribute on the front page of TateFootball.com read Saturday night. “God’s football team has one heck of a good guy now.”
Penegar was a active member of the Gonzalez United Methodist Church and youth program.
He is survived by Elbert and Tammie Penegar, brother Tyler and numerous other family members and friends.
Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at Faith Chapel North at 1000 South Highway 29 in Cantonment. Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 14 at 12:30 p.m. at the Gonzalez Methodist Church. Burial will follow at the Cottage Hill Baptist Cemetery at 230 Williams Ditch Road in Cantonment.
Lady Aggies Go 3-1 In North Florida Classic
March 10, 2013
The Tate Lady Aggies traveled to Tallahassee this weekend to play in the North Florida Classic hosted by Chiles High School. Tate recorded a record of 3 wins and one loss. Their only loss came on their first game against Wakulla (3-2). The Lady Aggies rallied with 3 wins against Canterbury (St. Petersburg), Fort Walton Beach, and Godby High Schools. Tate will be in action with three district games this week against Navarre, Escambia and Pensacola High.
Game 1, Friday: Wakulla 3, Tate 2
Game 2, Friday: Tate 4, Canterbury 3
Game 3, Saturday: Tate 8, Ft. Walton Beach 7
Game 4, Saturday 15, Godby 0
Pictured: The Tate Lady Aggies Saturday in the North Florida Classic at Chiles High School in Tallahassee. Submitted photos by Laura McCrackin for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Photos: NEP Opening Day
March 10, 2013
Saturday was Opening Day for Northeast Pensacola (NEP) Ballpark.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Does your child play at NEP? Send us photos and scores each week! Email news@northescambia.com.
NorthEscambia.com photos by Kristi Smith, click to enlarge.
Gaetz Hoping For State Work Pay Raises
March 10, 2013
The Senate president has reiterated that lawmakers will try to give state workers their first raise in six years, though he warned about the unpredictable nature of economic circumstances that could derail the plan.
Speaking at a luncheon of the Capital Tiger Bay Club, Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said the move to give state workers more money was bipartisan. Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, is one of its chief backers.
“Bill Montford and I are working together as partners to try to find the money to end the six-year drought and give state employees a raise this year,” Gaetz said.
It’s the first time in several years lawmakers have had enough projected revenue to fund at least the current year budget in the new fiscal year, without having to cut programs.
But Gaetz warned that because the federal sequestration has created a question about the economy, nobody can predict the state’s finances.
Florida’s state employees last got a raise in 2006 when they got a 3 percent increase in pay, though they did receive a one-time lump sum bonus payment of $1,000 in 2007. Their take-home pay, meanwhile, has dropped because of a new requirement since 2011 that 3 percent of their pay go into the state retirement system for their pensions.
The budget proposed by Gov. Rick Scott includes one-time bonuses for non-supervisory state workers. In addition to the $1,200 bonuses for most state workers, the governor also wants additional merit-based bonuses for other senior employees.
A bill (HB 289) filed in the House by Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, and in the Senate (SB 1180) by Sen. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, would give state employees a 7 percent raise. A bill (HB 41) by Rep. Dwayne Taylor, D-Daytona Beach, in the House and Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa in the Senate (SB 484) would provide a 2 percent raise.
Gaetz didn’t say what amount he had in mind for a state worker pay hike.
By The News Service of Florida
Weekend Gardening: Caring For Camellias
March 10, 2013
One of Northwest Florida’s most reliable and rewarding shrubs is the camellia. Providing dark green leaves throughout the year, gardeners are rewarded in late winter or early spring with a variety of beautifully colored and shaped flowers. Camellias tend to thrive in our acidic soil but they do require some routine maintenance.
Pick up the fallen flowers. A fungal disease known as petal blight will rapidly turn entire flowers brown. If a camellia has petal blight, remove and dispose of all blighted flowers both on the plant and on the ground. You may also consider discarding the old mulch around the shrub and apply a layer of fresh mulch. This practice sometimes helps prevent fungal spores from blowing back onto new flowers. One of the best ways to prevent this disease is to pick up and destroy fallen blooms. Flowers will continue to drop for several weeks, so it’s important to pick up blooms several times a week.
Scout for tea scale. One of the most common insect pests of camellia is a scale insect known as tea scale. Check the underside of leaves regularly for this annoying pest. These small, sessile, white, thin, sap-sucking insects can build up large numbers if you do not regularly inspect your plants and take corrective measures when scale is first found. Often your first clue will be spotty yellowing on the upper surface of the leaves. Horticultural oil can be used in the winter time if used before blooming or in spring after blooming. Do not apply horticultural oil when near-freezing temperatures may be expected. Always carefully read and follow pesticide label directions before use.
Expect some leaves to fall in the spring. Camellias are “evergreen” meaning that they have leaves on the shrub year round. However, as individual leaves age, they will fall from the shrub and are replaced with new leaves in the spring. It is not unusual for camellia to drop up to 30 percent of their leaves. As long as new leaves are developing, there is no need for concern.
Camellia can be pruned after they flower. The most important reason for pruning camellias is to improve the overall health of the plant. Many times, camellias that have not been pruned in a few years will develop dead or deteriorating twigs. Removing the dead and dying limbs will minimize the possibility of diseases such as “dieback” and will also allow the plant to re-concentrate its energies. In many instances, camellias that have been neglected for a number of years will become infested with scale insects. Pruning is an effective way to provide for better coverage of chemical sprays and increase air circulation.
Lichens are warning signs. Lichens are gray-green to green mossy growths on the stems of old, neglected camellias. The lichen is a combination of a fungus and an alga that grows symbiotically. They are not parasitic to the camellia. Affected plants usually need fertilizing, watering, and mulching for better growing conditions.
Fertilizer applications help to achieve maximum performance. Apply fertilizer in the spring after blooming but before new growth starts. With many fertilizers, small amounts at frequent intervals are better than heavy applications. Special camellia fertilizers are available at your local stores. One application in early spring after blooming should be followed by a second application in mid June to early July. Scatter the fertilizer evenly on top of the mulch and away from the main stem of the plant. Water the fertilizer into the soil. Do not fertilize after July, so the plants will have a longer time to harden off and avoid freeze damage.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Taking Care Of Business
March 10, 2013
As Gov. Rick Scott helped launch the legislative session Tuesday, his message boiled down to this: “It’s working.”
That likely will be a common refrain through the 2014 gubernatorial election, as Scott touts the addition of jobs, jobs, jobs and casts himself as leading the state out of the economic desert of the Charlie Crist era.
“Two years ago, Florida was losing jobs and many Florida families were losing their dreams. … The short-sighted policies of borrowing on our future had led to disaster,” said Scott, who, not coincidentally, could find himself running for re-election against the Republican-turned-Democrat Crist.
But Scott’s State of the State address Tuesday spurred the Florida Democratic Party to describe the governor as being in a “state of denial.”
“Today, with a carefully crafted and poll-tested message, Gov. Rick Scott delivered his State of the State and tried to remake himself,” Democratic Chairwoman Allison Tant wrote in a fund-raising email. “But Scott is in a State of Denial if he thinks he can run from his record.”
By now, everyone knows that Scott — who got elected in 2010 on a “Let’s Get to Work” theme — will use public appearances to focus on job creation. And Tuesday’s address was no different, with Scott, for example, singling out Northrop Grumman, which had announced it would add 1,000 jobs in the state.
Similarly, Scott used the address to pitch his plan to eliminate the sales tax on manufacturing equipment, a move he says would help the state compete for jobs.
Scott, however, also set aside a good chunk of the address to call for giving $2,500 raises to teachers. That idea has faced skepticism from some Republican legislative leaders, who question the wisdom of giving across-the-board raises.
But Scott said he sees paying teachers more as an investment in the state’s future.
“We don’t want a war on teachers,” Scott said. “We want a war on failure.”
MEDICAID MORASS: While not a major part of the address, Scott reiterated his controversial stance that the state should expand Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act. That stance involves going ahead with the expansion for three years — a period in which Washington is supposed to pay all of the tab — and then revisiting the issue.
“I concluded that for the three years the federal government is committed to paying 100 percent of the cost of new people in Medicaid, I cannot, in good conscience, deny the uninsured access to care,” Scott said.
That stance drew heavy applause from Democrats gathered in the House chamber. But it also came shortly after House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, made clear he wants nothing to do with the expansion, describing the federal approach as destined for failure.
“I believe it forces Florida to expand a broken (Medicaid) system that we have been battling Washington to fix, and I believe it will ultimately drive up the cost of health care,” Weatherford said. “This inflexible plan, thrust upon us by the federal government, is not aimed at strengthening the safety net. It pushes a social ideology at the expense of our future.”
With Weatherford and other House Republicans digging in against the expansion, Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said it appeared the House had “shut the lights off” on the issue. But House and Senate Republican leaders also said they were looking for ways to provide a health-care safety net, which could mean that the Medicaid issue will lurk throughout the session.
While House and Senate Democrats are ready to move forward with adding hundreds of thousands of people to Medicaid, Senate Republicans have not publicly tipped their hands about the issue.
Meanwhile, the hospital industry and advocates for Medicaid beneficiaries are continuing to push for the expansion. Hospitals contend, in part, that extending Medicaid coverage to more people would reduce the amounts of uncompensated care they have to provide.
“Governor Scott and the Legislature face very difficult public-policy choices on how to proceed with implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act,” Tony Carvalho, president of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “We believe that Governor Scott reached a logical conclusion that extends vital health coverage to nearly a million Floridians and assures our citizens get a return on some of the federal tax dollars that they are sending to Washington.”
A Senate select committee is scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the Medicaid expansion, which might give a sign about how the Senate will move forward with the issue. The committee likely will hear about new estimates that the Affordable Care Act would cost Florida about $5.2 billion over the next decade, with about $3.5 billion stemming from Florida having to pick up part of the Medicaid expansion costs after the first three years.
PRIORITIES, PRIORITIES: The Medicaid issue might be a huge question mark, but House and Senate leaders made clear on the first day of the session that they want to pass changes to improve ethics and fix problems in the elections system.
The Senate unanimously voted for an ethics package that includes steps such as trying to slow the revolving door between the Legislature and the lobbying industry and trying to prevent lawmakers from using fund-raising vehicles known as “committees of continuous existence” to pay personal expenses.
“A lot of this wouldn’t be necessary if we all conducted ourselves, if everyone that was elected to office in the state of Florida conducted their lives and themselves in office, by just using a little common sense,” said Senate Ethics and Elections Chairman. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.
A little later Tuesday, the House voted 118-1 to pass a bill that would address some of the controversial voting issues from the 2012 elections. For example, the bill would allow elections supervisors to hold up to 14 days of early voting — an increase from the current eight — and would add to the number of sites that could serve as early-voting locations.
“I think the Legislature has some responsibility for some of the challenges we had in 2012,” Weatherford said. “I readily admit that, and that’s why we passed it on the first day.”
The House and Senate still need to reach agreement on the final details of the ethics and elections bills.
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Rick Scott gave his State of the State address Tuesday to start the 2013 legislative session, pushing for raises for teachers and elimination of the sales tax on manufacturing equipment.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “This is now the third time I have had the opportunity to address you to report on the state of the great state of Florida. And after two years of hard work, this update can be summed up in two words: It’s working.” — Scott during Tuesday’s address.
By The News Service of Florida